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Ritual of Binding
"The binding is a sacred ritual of the Spirit Monks. We can draw on the power of the Water Dragon to bind a spirit to us. It is one of our tools for shepherding the dead". :–Abbot Song Ritual of binding bound a spirit or ghost to the binder or to a specific place. It could also be used to bind the soul of a living person. The ritual was used exclusively by Spirit Monks, who had access to the power of the Water Dragon and was considered a great responsibility. :The ability to bind a spirit is one of the great honors that the Water Dragon has bestowed upon us. Therefore, we must always remember to treat this gift with the proper respect. When you bind a spirit, you become the guardian of that spirit. It is as though the spirit is your child. Though it is your duty to return the spirit to the Water Dragon for her judgment, until you give the spirit over to her, you are fully responsible for that spirit. Since the spirit will obey your every command, you must always have the best interests of the spirit in mind while it is under your control. You must never command a spirit to do anything that might affect the Water Dragon's judgment of that spirit later on. And though it is the most common rule when binding spirits, I will repeat it again: Under no circumstances will you ever bind the spirit of a living person. Such acts are punishable by death and judgment at the hands of the Water Dragon herself". :–Text: The Ritual of Binding, scrollstand located in the outer courtyard of Dirge. Uses Restless Ghosts If a ghost refused to leave the mortal world and re-enter the Wheel of Life, the ghost would go mad. Once mad, the ghost would be unable to find its way to the Underworld and thus the ritual of binding was used. A Spirit Monk could bind the mad spirit and bring them to the Temple of Dirge, where then they could be physically lead to the entrance of the underworld. Place Bindings :"Binding a spirit to a place is a terrible crime for our order. The only thing worse is binding a living creature". :–Abbot Song When bound to a place, the ghost could never escape. Like all spirits, it would feel a pull to the Underworld but would be unable to follow. This situation would throw the ghost into agony, and its spirit would slowly twist and corrupt. If left bound to a place long enough, a ghost will go mad. Through this form of binding, ghosts can be used to guard particular locations. Xian Wu was bound to a fountain of temple of Dirge, tasked with guarding it. Living Bindings :"Under no circumstances will you ever bind the spirit of a living person. Such acts are punishable by death and judgment at the hands of the Water Dragon herself". ::–The Ritual of Binding The binding of living people was considered by the Spirit Monk order to be a great crime, that was punishable by death. Living people that have been bound are stripped completely of their free will, and must aquiesce to the will and the orders of the binder. Altough they can still voice their opinions on matters, they cannot choose to act on those opinions unless it is allowed by the binder. The Player can choose to bind certain companions after the defense of Dirge, but only if the Player bound Death's Hand to serve. Many companion will voice their disapproval. The companions that protest are as follows: *Dawn Star: She will voice her disgust of the action and say that Death's Hand's spirit should be allowed to rest. In which case the Player will bind her unless she has been turned to the Way of the Closed Fist. *Silk Fox: She will also disagree, saying that Death's Hand's spirit is that of Sun Kin's and because of his royal status demands that he be released. She will be bound unless the Player turned her to the Closed Fist. *Henpecked Hou: Henpecked Hou cannot be convinced and will have to be bound. *Sky: Sky will say he cares not if Death's Hand goes or stays but a twisting of a man's soul should not be allowed. In which case the Player will bind him unless he has been turned to the Way of the Closed Fist. All other companions will continue to follow the Player whether Death's Hand was bound or not. Ritual of Binding